A great example of this is Tarra and Bella. Tarra is an 8,700-pound Asian elephant living at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn. Bella is a dog.

Sanctuary co-founder Carol Buckley says the elephants tend to form a close bond with another elephant, going about life two-by-two. Tarra’s best bud just happens to be one of the many stray dogs that call the sanctuary home.

When Bella sustained a spinal cord injury and couldn’t walk, Tarra was beside herself and stood in the corner. Staff eventually started bringing Bella down to see Tarra until she could walk again. Now that Bella is healed, the two are inseparable once again. Tarra even pets Bella’s tummy with her enormous foot! What a beautiful friendship.